Can a good girl find love in a thug? For Lei Fifer, that’s the hundred-thousand-dollar question. When Lei, an introverted homebody, invites her girls over for a spa day, she isn’t expecting their conversation to shift to men in prison. As an advocate for rehabilitated people receiving the love, companionship, and support those who haven’t committed crimes receive, Lei doesn’t hesitate to put her money where her mouth is and bet that she can find a good friend or great love with someone through the pen pal program her father created.

For teenagers Angel, Rahsaan, and Kahmeer, the summer before their last year of high school is the time for unadulterated fun. What they don’t expect is for a party to lead to a shootout that changes the trajectory of their summer and their lives permanently. Cousins Imani and Darla, don’t expect connecting with Angel and Rahsaan to reshape their hearts and lives, but it does. They learn quickly that the only thing stronger than love is hate, and the only person they can trust is themselves.

In this collection are updated stories from some of your favorite Valentines.

For a man like Merc, his reputation has always preceded him. Known for his allegiance to the criminal underworld as a protector, the gangster only shows love to his family… and his son and the woman who birthed him are at the top of that list. When Merc decides to take one last job before retiring, he doesn’t think it will include protecting a woman he’s been trying to avoid but can’t seem to get rid of. A woman who softens him and brings out the lover he’s kept hidden over the years.

Billie Hopkins is discontent living life for her mother. The painter and baker spends her days working at her family’s business. Even though she wishes she could change her life, she doesn’t have the motivation to do so… Until her boyfriend of three years breaks up with her and gets engaged just six months later. Worse, his fiancée wants to hire Billie to bake their wedding cake. That seems to be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back and forces Billie to do something different with her life—even if it’s just for three days.

Retired hit woman Celine Briggs loved few people in this world; her husband Caleb, and her ex-handler, Brian Devereaux. When Celine took her marital vows, she exchanged the life of guns, drugs, and violence for the peaceful life as Caleb's wife. However, not all things buried stay hidden. When Celine's past comes knocking, it rattles her world and forces her back into the life she vowed to give up. Now she is turning up the heat on the streets of Chicago, showing no mercy to the men who've undoubtedly marked themselves.

Dauterive Jersey married the wrong man, and she’s suffered silently because of it. The free-spirited, independent woman has been dying for an escape. When she finally has the courage to divorce her husband, he vows to make her pay with an age-old threat—if he can’t have her no one can.

When Montana Dixon returns home to Memphis, she’s given the opportunity to financially secure her future for the rest of her life. With that opportunity comes a commitment of marriage to a man she’s never spoken a single word to. Having sworn off love, Montana is okay with an arranged marriage for the sake of business—until she runs into her ex—the man who showed her how love can hurt.

Koda Perry is a self-made millionaire who can't seem to form his own identity as anything other than a spoiled rich kid. Determined to build his own legacy, he branched out on his own, built a company from the ground up, and became a millionaire before the age of thirty—but for his billionaire father, that's not good enough. In his mother's eyes, Koda's life will never be complete until he gets married and has kids. All Koda wants to do is live his life the way he sees fit on his own terms.

Nalani, a dedicated and compassionate teacher, never expected her life to take a turn when she met Lorenzo, a single father trying to rebuild his life after a painful divorce. When Nalani becomes the teacher of Lorenzo’s daughter, fate plays its hand, intertwining their lives in ways they could never have foreseen. As Nalani and Lorenzo spend time together, their connection grows stronger, igniting a flame neither of them can ignore. The walls around their hearts crumble as they navigate the complexities of love amidst the challenges of co-parenting and healing from past wounds.

For the town of Rose Valley Hills, the wedding to commemorate the love between Nova Cane and Chapel Wilson was slated to be the event of the decade. With a guest list of over 300 people RSVP’d to be in attendance, everyone who was anyone would be there. At the final wedding rehearsal, Nova shares a truth that can potentially end their marriage before it even begins.

Angie is taking a serious break from dating. At least, she thought she was until she comes across the finest man she’s ever seen — the new handyman in her building. Angie knows what she wants in a man, and Law doesn't seem to be it. But that doesn’t mean she can’t get to know him, right? Law is focused on rebuilding his life as a free man. That rebuild doesn’t include getting involved with anyone, especially not the bougie girl at his job who always needs something fixed.

The moment Dante Williams wakes up on the side of the road, unsure of where he is or who he is, his life changes for the worse. After a brief stay in the hospital, Dante is released to the care of his loving wife, Sade. Sade is beautiful, successful, and loyal. So loyal, she devotes herself to Dante indefinitely, hoping this will help him appreciate what he has—his life and his wife. While seemingly having it all, their perfect marriage isn’t enough to keep Dante from digging up the past in hopes of recovering his memory. It isn’t long before he begins questioning Sade’s intentions.

Remi Wilson is a true Army brat. As the the daughter of a General, her life’s plan was set in motion from the minute she took her first breath. The expectations are simple: Be the ideal general’s daughter and marry an Army officer. Not once has she considered deviating. Why would she when following the plan will lead to a blissfully bright further that mirrors that of her parents.

Blogger, Ocean Braxton, suffered a loss back-to-back, so she decided to live life to the fullest starting with her dating life. Deciding to go out on a blind date, her night is interrupted by a handsome stranger who notices her needing saving. There's an attraction, but no names or numbers are exchanged. With them seeing each other on two different accounts, they eventually agree to a date of their own. The only problem is he isn't the only date she's interested in.

Lana Fleming’s sister has vanished from the set of TV’s hottest show, and no one seems to care. Desperate for answers, Lana sneaks in as an extra, only to get stranded with Griffin Hart, an A-list action star with a reputation for good abs and bad decisions. Though Griffin didn’t expect to be cast as a librarian’s sidekick in a real-life thriller, he’s weirdly into it—and into her. Even more unsettling—she sees right through his playboy persona. But their meet-cute soon turns deadly when they uncover a Hollywood scandal for the ages.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

Liv’s happy with life in her thirties. She has two cats, one BFF, and no boyfriend, which is just how she likes it. Plus, she loves working at a not-for-profit software company where she can be her authentically autistic self. This is her happy ever after. But when her beloved firm merges with a repulsive rival, Liv finds herself competing with her sort-of-ex for the top job. Sure, Finn had been Liv’s best friend, with his nerdy good looks and their shared love of Tolkien, but there was that one night, their song, and … well, she doesn’t like to talk about it.

Meet Randi Burnett—she’s brilliant, she’s beautiful, and she works for the bride. Missing groom? Intoxicated in-laws? Crying ring-bearer? You name it, she wrangles it. Too bad her personal life isn’t thriving like her side gig as a bridesmaid for hire. Recently dumped, Randi throws herself into her biggest challenge yet when she’s hired as a maid of honor and pretend best friend for an ice queen bride. There’s just one problem—the best man is infuriating, overprotective, and anti-marriage.

Can a good girl find love in a thug? For Lei Fifer, that’s the hundred-thousand-dollar question. When Lei, an introverted homebody, invites her girls over for a spa day, she isn’t expecting their conversation to shift to men in prison. As an advocate for rehabilitated people receiving the love, companionship, and support those who haven’t committed crimes receive, Lei doesn’t hesitate to put her money where her mouth is and bet that she can find a good friend or great love with someone through the pen pal program her father created.

Friendships and family bonds are on the line as Londen Graham and Noah Gabriel both claim their freedom and choose different sides of the law to abide by. As Londen yearns to be a family man with his fiancée Lei, the wild lifestyle of his best friend Noah and his father’s pleas for help have him on the brink of returning to the streets. Will Noah’s friendship, combined with explosive secrets and street wars, pull Londen back to the life he swore to Lei he’d retired from, or will the love he expressed in Memphis be enough to keep him on the straight and narrow?

Shalom Daniels has everything she wants in life outside of marriage and kids. Her career and personal relationships are flourishing, except when it comes to the relationship that matters most—one with a man dedicated to cherishing and protecting her heart. Fresh out of a relationship with a man who was almost perfect, Shalom begins to question if her boundaries and standards are too high, or if it simply isn’t her time for her happily ever after yet.

The moment Dante Williams wakes up on the side of the road, unsure of where he is or who he is, his life changes for the worse. After a brief stay in the hospital, Dante is released to the care of his loving wife, Sade. Sade is beautiful, successful, and loyal. So loyal, she devotes herself to Dante indefinitely, hoping this will help him appreciate what he has—his life and his wife. While seemingly having it all, their perfect marriage isn’t enough to keep Dante from digging up the past in hopes of recovering his memory. It isn’t long before he begins questioning Sade’s intentions.

For teenagers Angel, Rahsaan, and Kahmeer, the summer before their last year of high school is the time for unadulterated fun. What they don’t expect is for a party to lead to a shootout that changes the trajectory of their summer and their lives permanently. Cousins Imani and Darla, don’t expect connecting with Angel and Rahsaan to reshape their hearts and lives, but it does. They learn quickly that the only thing stronger than love is hate, and the only person they can trust is themselves.

Willow Lourie, daughter of Kyle and Eyota, is the definition of against the grain. She lives her life unapologetically to the desires of her heart. She's always known what was right according to pack law and her parents' guidance, but when right doesn't work with what her heart wants, she does the next best thing... her. What happens when someone comes along making her second guess her true heart's desire?

Koda Perry is a self-made millionaire who can't seem to form his own identity as anything other than a spoiled rich kid. Determined to build his own legacy, he branched out on his own, built a company from the ground up, and became a millionaire before the age of thirty—but for his billionaire father, that's not good enough. In his mother's eyes, Koda's life will never be complete until he gets married and has kids. All Koda wants to do is live his life the way he sees fit on his own terms.

Rude, uncaring, and sexy all at the same time, Mission is who he is unapologetically. Nothing comes before his money or his business. Now that he has conquered the illegal world, his cousin urges him to cross over to the legit side. Not liking change, Mission resists this new venture until he realizes the connection it has with someone he wants—Tayah Nolan!

When Montana Dixon returns home to Memphis, she’s given the opportunity to financially secure her future for the rest of her life. With that opportunity comes a commitment of marriage to a man she’s never spoken a single word to. Having sworn off love, Montana is okay with an arranged marriage for the sake of business—until she runs into her ex—the man who showed her how love can hurt.

Being a natural-born leader comes with a certain type of responsibility. The streets will never respect a man who is not rightfully holding down the position he was born to uphold. Some are created to lead while others were created to follow. Money will always keep stacking as long as everyone plays their position. The weight of the world rests on those that are born to be great... Haze Ellis has no idea just how true that is until the moment he realizes that he is the descendent of a King... A "Street" King!

Anissa Dent is experiencing heartbreak like none she’s ever felt. Her husband of nearly twenty years has fallen victim to crack cocaine after a devastating loss. All her efforts to help him have failed, and to protect herself and her sons, she divorces him and has him removed from their home. That doesn’t stop him from popping in and out of their lives with promises of getting clean. Anissa desperately wants to move on in her life, but her love for what once was is holding her back. However, attending a family barbeque with her son proves to be the restart she desperately needs.

Jamison Jareau has suffered a terrible loss. His wife of eighteen years passed away the day she gave birth to their son. Consumed with grief and guilt over her death, Jamison has thrown himself into work and raising his four children without her. Two and a half years have passed since he lost his soulmate. The kids are growing up and Jamison realized he needs a little more help with them than he wants to admit. At the urging of his mother-in-law, he seeks a live-in nanny to alleviate some of the stress of being a single parent.

For years, Kalvin Wise's only focus was making sure his baby sister Ciara was safe and loved. Being the product of a toxic union, Wise and Ciara were left to their own vices to survive in the world. Wise refused for his sister to feel the same emptiness he did growing up, which meant survival by any means necessary to provide balance for himself and his sister. Forced to leave her past situation alone, Noa finds herself circling back into the single life. Going with the flow and refusing to settle, she also decides that her approach to love has to change.

Gideon “Gee” Powers has one hundred and eighty days to secure his rightful place as head of the family. Rhian Barnes has one hundred and eighty days to complete a bucket list. One night in Sin City blurs the lines and two become one.

Elias Omari exists in the darkness that clouds his mind. Cress Devereaux exists in the light that inspires her soul. Together, they create beautiful shades of gray. An arranged marriage forces two families to smooth the edges of their jagged past with the hopes of a new beginning. But can a union tainted with secrets and uncertainty promise an unbreakable alliance? The one thing that Elias and Cress share in common is family over everything, but should they continue to fight for family when that same family has never truly fought for them?